Caught by the Glittering Moment
by Cherry Blossoms Kaorin
Summary: What will happen when Rukawa's twin sister transferred from Ryonan High School to Shohoku High School? What'll happen when she joins the Shohoku Girls Basketball Team?Note:this fic does not belong to me but celestial sakura,i'm just hosting it for her.
1. Look Who's Here!

Chapter 1 – Look Who's Here!  
  
"Shohoku!"  
  
"Fight!"  
  
The eyes of the team manageress, Ayako, moved approvingly over the training members. She admiringly noted the fire that burned in their eyes.  
  
Last year, second in prefecture. This year? She smiled, crossing her arms, tapping her fan lightly against her arms. First, obviously.  
  
"O-ho-ho-ho," Anzai, their coach chuckled as he too saw how hard they were training.  
  
"Come on, what's the matter with all of you?" Ryota Miyagi shouted, puffing out his chest proudly. He eyed Ayako in the corner of the gym.  
  
Watch me, Aya-chan! I'm the captain of Shohoku's basketball team now!  
  
A smack brought him back to his sense.  
  
"Wake up, Mr. Captain," Hisashi Mitsui growled at him before running past.  
  
Hah! He's just jealous because Akagi didn't choose him to be Captain! Ryota guffawed before sprinting to the front.  
  
1 I wish it wasn't so quiet around here… missing the arguments of two people, I am. ARGH! Concentrate!  
  
"One, two. One, two."  
  
~~  
  
Rukawa Kaede was not a happy person.  
  
His teachers had insisted, however much he protested, that he be placed in a remedial class immediately.  
  
"No more sleeping in class!" the principal howled at him, slamming his fist on the table. "We will have to suspend you from the basketball team if this continues, Rukawa."  
  
Rukawa gave a small mumble of dissent as he strolled down the sidewalk.  
  
Thankfully, remedial was over for that day. Thankfully, too, remedial was only on one day a week, while basketball was on everyday.  
  
Unfortunately, Sakuragi Hanamichi was in the remedial too.  
  
The red-head had snapped two pencils, torn apart three test papers and slammed his book on the table countless times while suffering from extreme boredom.  
  
Rukawa set his bag down on the bench in the public basketball court he normally practiced in. Drawing out his basketball, he bounced it a few times.  
  
Moving swiftly, he sprinted across the court and dunked the ball into the hoop to vent his frustration.  
  
~~  
  
"Damn! Why is everything so cluttered?"  
  
Switching on the lights with a flick of her hand, the girl surveyed the scene before her with distaste.  
  
" I can't imagine how that boy can live in here without tripping over something every few seconds!"  
  
Hands on her hips, she calculated the estimated time before diving into the pile of dirty clothes.  
  
~~  
  
Rukawa paused as the realization dawned on him.  
  
Someone was inside his house.  
  
As far as he knew, no one had the key to his house, yet there were definitely no signs of breaking-and-entering on the door.  
  
He flung the door open and gaped slightly.  
  
No more piles of dirty clothes.  
  
The floor was clean and vacuumed. Everything was shining.  
  
Rukawa dumped his bag on the floor and advanced to the staircase, where he could still hear the vacuum whirring.  
  
His jaw dropped open at the sight that greeted him.  
  
"Hika…"  
  
An eyebrow went up.  
  
"Hika…"  
  
The girl tossed her hair back. "Oh, you're back, are you? I thought I could finish cleaning before you arrived but apparently your house was too messy to clean up in a few minutes."  
  
"Hika…"  
  
"Will you stop saying 'Hika'? It's damn annoying!"  
  
"Hikari!" Rukawa managed to get the name out. He abruptly added another word: "Do-aho."  
  
Tut-tutting about bad manners, Hikari ruffled Rukawa's hair and moved to the kitchen.  
  
"I'm fixing dinner for you. I can't stand the sight of those TV Dinner boxes anymore."  
  
~~  
  
As he sat down at the table, Hikari came out of the kitchen, with plates balanced precariously on her arms.  
  
"You're going to break something like this," Rukawa muttered as he relieved Hikari of her burden.  
  
He reached for his fork but was stopped by a sharp tap on his hand. "What?" Rukawa asked, annoyed at his dinner being interrupted.  
  
"Say thank you," Hikari warned him, untying her apron.  
  
Rukawa rolled his eyes. "Thank you for this meal and if you don't let me eat I'm going to starve to death."  
  
"Wow! That's the most number of words I've ever heard you speak!" Hikari proclaimed dramatically, handing Rukawa his plate. "Tuck in!"  
  
~~  
  
Barely a few minutes later, the plates were scraped clean and not a scrap of food was anywhere to be seen.  
  
"I wonder where you learn to cook," Rukawa questioned his sister.  
  
"From Grandma, where else?" Hikari replied, glaring at him. "She's worried about you, you know."  
  
Nodding, Rukawa sidled up to the attic, where his bedroom was located. "So that's why you're here."  
  
"Yup! To take care of you!" Hikari grinned, patting Rukawa's head and cutting off his route to the bedroom.  
  
"No sleeping early! I know how you can sleep early and still wake up late." Hikari shook her head and dumped the contents of a nearby bag out.  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
Hikari proudly gestured towards the books that had spilled out of the bag. "Grandma also instructed me to help you push your grades up."  
  
"Grandma this, grandma that," Rukawa muttered, seating himself at the table. He knew it was useless to argue with his sister.  
  
An hour and a half later, the two of them lay exhausted on their beds.  
  
"I didn't know tutoring you could be this difficult," Hikari groaned.  
  
"I didn't know having you as a tutor could be this tiring," Rukawa shot back as he pulled the pillow over his head and instantly dropped into a deep sleep.  
  
"Oh boy…" Hikari moaned. "He's already sleeping."  
  
She switched off the light. 


	2. Who's that girl?

Chapter 2 – Who's That Girl?  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
"Cute!"  
  
"Is she a transfer student?"  
  
"D'you think she's met Rukawa yet?"  
  
These comments followed Hikari all the way to her new classroom.  
  
Irritably, she slammed the door the moment she entered the classroom and was greeted by many staring faces. Some, in sheer disbelief that such a gorgeous looking girl ever existed, and some in some in annoyance that she had disturbed their studying.  
  
Ignoring all these, she made her way to the back of the class.  
  
WHAP.  
  
Everyone turned their attention to her again as she hit the dozing boy whom she was assigned to sit next to.  
  
"Oi!" Hikari shoved Rukawa irritably. "Wake up! You promised me you wouldn't sleep in class again."  
  
Gasps of surprise greeted this comment.  
  
Several moans followed.  
  
A loud, "Oh crap, is she his girlfriend?" was heard.  
  
"No! Rukawa is single you hear me, SINGLE!"  
  
Hikari sighed grimly. Guess I'll have to do what I always do in a new school… now what was it again?  
  
Pulling out a piece of paper she had prepared the night before, she read it:  
  
I, Rukawa Hikari am in no way romantically involved with insert name here and that he is still considered single.  
  
Taking a pencil from her pencil box, she added the next few lines below it:  
  
Rukawa Kaede is my younger brother, end of discussion.  
  
"That should do it," she muttered as she stood up and addressed the class.  
  
"I, Rukawa Hikari am in no way romantically involved with Rukawa Kaede and that he is still considered single. Rukawa Kaede is my younger brother, end of discussion."  
  
Nodding, satisfied, she sat down at her seat.  
  
The teacher entered a few minutes later and announced. "Today, we have a transfer student in our class, I'm certain you have already met her. Hikari, please stand up."  
  
The class shifted their attention to the now famous girl. "My name is Rukawa Hikari, nice to meet you all."  
  
End of routine.  
  
~~  
  
"Please wait, Miss Hikari!"  
  
"You haven't even opened my letter yet!"  
  
"NO!" Hikari called behind her as she skidded through the corridors, chased by a mob of boys, all intent for getting her attention. She had grown famous second by second and upon hearing her availability, the boys had immediately taken action.  
  
From the opposite direction came a mob of girls. It was just as bad.  
  
"Hikari! Would you please pass this to your brother?"  
  
"Back off! She's going to pass Kaede MY letter!"  
  
Seeing her brother pass by, Hikari dashed towards him and ducked behind his tall figure. "Run!"  
  
Rukawa raised his eyebrows a fraction and sprinted away behind his sister.  
  
"Whew! They've been chasing me all day long!"  
  
"Just like in Junior High," Rukawa muttered as he continued on his way.  
  
"No, worse than in Junior High," Hikari pointed out. "In Junior High all they did was flood my e-mail account and our post box. Now they add in 'catch-me-if-you-can' to the list! By the way, where're you going?"  
  
"Basketball."  
  
"Basketball? Good. I'll join you. I remember there was a certain topic about having a girls' team…"  
  
"No way."  
  
"No way? You know I can beat you in a one-on-one any day."  
  
"You can't."  
  
"Can to!"  
  
"Can't."  
  
"Can!"  
  
Their tirade lasted all the way until they reached the gym.  
  
"Hey, it's empty! Yay!" Hikari cheered, diving for an abandoned ball lying on the ground. "One on one! Let's see if you've improved!"  
  
"Hmph." Rukawa pointed at her skirt. "Aren't you worried about that?"  
  
"That's all right, remember I wear shorts under my skirt all the time?" Hikari laughed. "That's why I order longer skirts, remember? To hide the shorts!"  
  
"Hmm." Rukawa readied himself.  
  
"Here goes!"  
  
~~  
  
"Ah! I'm late!" Sakuragi yowled as he dashed through the corridors. "Oh no!"  
  
"Hey, what's going on?"  
  
"SHHH!" Berated the crowd at the gym doors. "You'll disturb them!"  
  
"What?" Sakuragi peeped through the crack between the doors.  
  
"Faster! You're not moving fast enough!"  
  
"Eh?" Sakuragi grunted as he watched the fast moving game.  
  
"Faster! Your opponent will elude you!"  
  
Hikari dribbled the ball past Rukawa and performed a lay up shot. As the ball fell to the ground, she explained to Rukawa.  
  
"You've improved. That's good, but I don't think you have enough practice yet. You need to move faster. Faster than your opponent, then you can be sure that your opponent can't elude you."  
  
"Ahem!"  
  
They turned to see Ryota coughing politely. "Ahem. We'd like to use our court, please."  
  
"Ah! Sorry!" Hikari bowed repeatedly as the basketball team walked in. "Didn't realize it was time for your practice!"  
  
"Nah, it's okay. I think Aya-chan would like to meet you!" Ryota promptly dropped his I'm-a-captain look and replaced it with the Where's-Aya-chan look.  
  
"She's the manager, she's really, REALLY nice!"  
  
"Ignore him," Sakuragi, who had followed him into the gym, butted in. "He's crazy about Ayako."  
  
WHAP.  
  
"You keep out of things you don't know of, Sakuragi." Ryota waggled his finger in a no-nonsense manner.  
  
"Cheh, I'm not a little kid, you know." Sakuragi gingerly rubbed his aching head.  
  
"Hi! Sorry I'm late!" someone called.  
  
"Aya-chan!" Ryota joyfully called and rushed forward.  
  
"Aya-chan…"  
  
"Don't call me Aya-chan," Ayako tossed her fan on the floor. "That one's torn, I'll have to make a new one. Hey!"  
  
She caught sight of the new person standing on the court.  
  
"Rukawa Hikari, yes?"  
  
Hikari nodded her head dumbly.  
  
"Hi! I'm the team manager, Ayako!" Winking cheerily, she stuck out a hand for Hikari to shake. "Nice to meet you!"  
  
Ayako smiled as she drew out a piece of paper and pen from her bag. "Now if you would write your name, class, height, position on this paper, we can get you into the team in no time at all."  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
Ayako blinked innocently. "The basketball team, of course. What did you think?"  
  
"I see." Hikari thought aloud. "Okay!" She grabbed the paper and pen and scribbled furiously. "Done!"  
  
Ayako read the paper:  
  
Name: Rukawa Hikari  
  
Class: 2 – 10  
  
Height: 171 cm  
  
Position: Shooting Guard  
  
'Junior High' had been crossed out, and 'Transferred from' was written neatly above it.  
  
"Ryonan High" Ayako gasped. "You're from Ryonan High?"  
  
"Yep!" Hikari grinned. "And for your information, I'm NOT a spy. And I'm NOT," she added in a loud voice. "NOT, going to pass letters to my brother for you OR join the fanclub!"  
  
The girls who were edging up to them fell back quickly.  
  
Everyone sweatdropped. 


	3. I-Can’t-Think-Of-A-Title

1.1 Chapter 3 – I-Can't-Think-Of-A-Title  
  
Mitsui hummed as he strolled through the corridors. He cursed silently as he looked at his watch. Damn that teacher! He promised we'd be back before basketball practice!  
  
He sighed. Oh boy.  
  
Emerging from the changing room five minutes later, he headed to the gym.  
  
Hearing the familiar sounds of his teammates, he smiled slightly.  
  
He slid open the door at the wrong time. "Yo," he was all he could say before a basketball crashed in his face.  
  
~~  
  
"Oops…" Ryota said uneasily.  
  
"That must have hurt," Ayako muttered.  
  
"What was that for?!" Mitsui yelled, rubbing his forehead.  
  
"Sorry!" Ryota backed away quickly. "I really didn't mean it, really didn't mean it, so how was your history excursion?"  
  
"Bah, forget it." Mitsui tossed the ball towards him. "It was boring. Absolutely nothing at all. Something about a rebellion I think. I didn't even take down notes. So where are the others?"  
  
"Others?"  
  
"You know, the usual trouble-makers,"  
  
"Oh, Rukawa and Sakuragi? They're at remedial."  
  
"Hmph. They'd need it."  
  
"You'd need it too, Mitsui," Ryota said, swiftly ducking to avoid an extremely hard clap on his shoulders. "You failed your college entrance exam!" Ryota promptly took off, Mitsui hard on his hells shouting, "I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT, SHORTY!"  
  
WHAP.  
  
Ayako rubbed her fan appreciatively as she walked back to the sidelines.  
  
"Okay, now that we are all, ah, warmed up, we shall have a game!" Ryota divided the members into two groups and chose the starting members. One team consisted of Mitsui, Yasuda, himself and two new players, Yosuke and Kyoiichi. The other team entirely of new members.  
  
"Don't you think you're a bit biased, Miyagi?" Mitsui questioned, seeing that their team had three senior members.  
  
"Not at all! This is our chance to see how good they are!" Ryota rubbed his hands gleefully. "Okay! Start!"  
  
~~  
  
"Well, that wasn't too bad, Kaede," Hikari said thoughtfully. "At least you passed your Maths by five points."  
  
"Hn." Rukawa stared at his practice paper.  
  
"It's an improvement from your failure of twenty-four marks, at least."  
  
"Hn." He stuffed it in his bag.  
  
"And you," Hikari turned to Sakuragi. "You didn't make any improvement at all." Sakuragi shrugged. "So?"  
  
"You won't be able to play in the Inter-High if this continues."  
  
"I know," Sakuragi scratched his head thoughtfully. "It's just the way I am, I guess. I can't help it!" Sakuragi insisted, seeing Hikari glare at him.  
  
"If Kaede can pass, why can't you?" Hikari pointed out.  
  
"BAH! THE GENIUS CAN DO EVERYTHING BETTER THAN THE KITSUNE!" Sakuragi scowled at Rukawa.  
  
"Okay. Basketball time!" Hikari opened the gym door.  
  
BAP.  
  
"OW!" Sakuragi howled, clutching his forehead.  
  
"Your fault again, Miyagi." Mitsui chided the captain.  
  
"Sorry! I keep throwing out of the court today!" Ryota apologized ruefully.  
  
"DAMN YOU RYO-CHIN!"  
  
"Hey, who's this?" Mitsui noticed Hikari standing beside them.  
  
"Oh, this is Rukawa's sister, Hikari." Ryota introduced. "Hikari, this is Mitsui Hisashi." Spotting Mitsui's quizzical look, he filled him in. "She's joining the girls team. You know, that subject Aya-chan raised a few weeks back?"  
  
"Yeah, I heard something about that…" Mitsui rubbed his scar thoughtfully. "What position do you play?" he asked Hikari.  
  
"Well," Hikari thought about it for a moment. "I can play any position, but my favorite is shooting guard."  
  
"Hey! I play shooting guard too!"  
  
Ryota nudged Mitsui. "She does great three-pointers too,"  
  
"Really? I don't believe you. Prove it!"  
  
"Pass me the ball," Hikari called to Rukawa, who threw a ball to her.  
  
Heading towards the hoop, she stopped behind the three-point line.  
  
"Hmph. I don't believe she can do it." Mitsui thought.  
  
In one swift move, Hikari jumped and threw the ball through the air. The ball fell in a perfect arc into the hoop.  
  
"Nice!" Ayako called to Hikari.  
  
"Well?" Ryota laughed. "Was that good or was that good?"  
  
Mitsui shrugged. "Well, it could have been better."  
  
"Just admit she's better than you."  
  
"RUKAWA!" Mitsui whirled around angrily. "I'm the MVP and I will not be beaten by a girl!"  
  
"She's already beaten you in accuracy."  
  
"I AM ACCURATE IN MY SHOOTING!"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Rukawa did a lay-up shot, ignoring Ryota, Yasuda and Ayako's attempts to calm the raging Mitsui.  
  
"Let's continue with the game," Ryota declared.  
  
The gym door opened a crack. Ayako noticed it. "Yes?" she asked, sliding it open.  
  
Three girls stood outside the gym door. All three seemed thoroughly embarrassed and kept shifting around.  
  
"Yes? Ayako repeated.  
  
"Well, we…" one of them said.  
  
"We…" another echoed.  
  
Ayako noticed that two of them were twins, identical in every way she could see.  
  
"We want to join the basketball team!" they blurted out at the same time.  
  
Ayako blinked, surprised. "Oh. Okay. Come in."  
  
"Just one reminder."  
  
"Yes?" the three chorused.  
  
"I hope you're not joining just to get close to Rukawa," Ayako said nonchalantly.  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"We wouldn't want to get close to - "  
  
"That walking ice-block!"  
  
Ayako sweatdropped. This is a first, she mused. They entered the gym just in time to see Hikari shoot a fade-away shot.  
  
"HIKARI!" one of the girls shrieked.  
  
"Huh? Whoops…" Hikari slipped upon landing on the floor. "Oof! What is YOUR problem, Sakura?"  
  
"You know her?" Ayako questioned the girl.  
  
"RUKAWA HIKARI YOU LITTLE…" Sakura stormed over to Hikari and pretended to throttle her.  
  
"GACK! What?!"  
  
"You never told me you transferred over from Ryonan!" Sakura protested.  
  
"Fine, fine. My fault." Hikari picked herself up from the floor. Noticing the puzzled looks everyone was sending them, she introduced Sakura.  
  
"Everyone, this is Sakura Yamasaki. She's my…" Hikari ticked off on her fingers. "Best friend, childhood playmate, worst enemy, rival academically and in sports, romance instructor and mess-up-what-I've-cleaned army all in one."  
  
"Not funny." Sakura pouted.  
  
"VERY funny."  
  
They exchanged funny looks then burst out laughing.  
  
The basketball team members looked at each other oddly. "Are they a little weird up here?" Ryota whispered to Rukawa, pointing to his head.  
  
Rukawa shook his head.  
  
CBK: This fic belongs to me not celestial sakura. Muahahahaha! Ok ok, just kidding this fic belongs to celestial sakura. Feel free to mail her at sakura_hanagumi@hotmail.com if you have any questions or anything to say to her but of course you have to review her fic too.  
  
If not *glints evilly and takes out a sharp sword out of nowhere*, you know what will happen to you. Hehehe! This will help people to review your fic, celestial sakura. Hope you don't mind this note of mine in addition to this chapter of yours, ok?  
  
Please note that when this fic has author's note, it's celestial sakura's ramblings not mine, ok? If mine, it'll be CBK, ok? Well, hope ya enjoy reading this fic. 


	4. Let's Play

1.1.1 Chapter 4 – Let's Play  
  
"Stop!"  
  
The whole basketball team skidded to a halt as Ryota ended their joy around the court. "Five minutes break, be back quick!" There was a mad frenzy as the first-years dashed for the water-cooler.  
  
"Really," Ryota muttered. "They'll have to shape up a bit. They're like you, Mitsui," he called to the shooting guard. "No stamina."  
  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"  
  
"Nothing…"  
  
"I'll get you for that, Miyagi!" Mitsui growled.  
  
"Nah, you can't do that to the captain, Mitsui!" Ryota smirked. "Besides, remember that promise to Anzai-sensei?"  
  
Eyebrow twitching, Mitsui backed off.  
  
~~  
  
"So how are we supposed to recognize either of you?" Hikari asked quizzically.  
  
"Well," chorused the twins.  
  
"My name's Yagami Yuki."  
  
"And my name's Yagami Yuuki." (Note: Sorry for using the name Yuuki  
  
"Not much of a difference, is there?" Sakura pointed out.  
  
"Well," the twins repeated.  
  
"Yuki is much messier."  
  
"Yuuki is much neater."  
  
"O-kay," Hikari sighed, scrutinizing them closely. "You're in. What positions do you play?"  
  
"Yuki plays power forward."  
  
"Yuuki plays small forward."  
  
Sakura scribbled their names and positions down. "Check!" Turning to Hikari she announced, "And now we need a point guard!"  
  
"We need MORE than a point guard," Hikari replied thoughtfully. "What if we are injured during the game? What if someone is late? There won't be any reserves to fill in for us."  
  
"You're right," Sakura and the twins sank to the ground, thinking.  
  
"Well, if we can't find anyone, we could always ask your brother's fanclub." Yuki suggested.  
  
"NO, thank you. We don't need players who come just to swoon over my brother. Besides, if they're so busy looking at him, they won't be able to watch the ball." Hikari stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"Excuse me,"  
  
"We could always go to the school gate and shout, 'Who wants to join the basketball team?'" Yuuki said.  
  
"And get whapped on the head by the teachers for holding up their cars? If we shout that, the fanclub will be fighting with one another to sign up."  
  
"Excuse me,"  
  
"What?!" Hikari shouted, exasperated. "Oops, sorry."  
  
Someone was standing behind them, fidgeting.. "Excuse me, my name is, uh, Kanzaki Reina." The girl twirled her hair around her finger, looking frightened.  
  
"Yes, Reina?" Sakura asked.  
  
"I'd, uh, like to, uh," Reina stammered nervously. "Join the, uh, basketball team."  
  
"What position do you play?" Yuki, Yuuki, Sakura and Hikari demanded.  
  
"I play, uh, uh, point, uh, guard, uh… ?" Reina sweatdropped as all four began whooping and jumping into the air.  
  
"WE HAVE A TEAM!"  
  
~~  
  
  
  
"What?! Already?!" Ryota shouted disbelievingly. "You COULDN'T have found a team in such a short time!" Ryota walked around the team, inspecting them closely. "And you couldn't have trained them in just two days!"  
  
"Well, we have a team, and we did train them." Hikari grinned and did a victory pose. "Did you ever know that girls are fast learners?"  
  
"I think you made that up," Ryota argued.  
  
Ignoring that comment, Hikari continued. "Thus, we demand you have a match with us!"  
  
"Nah-uh." Ryota shook his head. "We're in the middle of practice."  
  
"Oh, I see…" Sakura heaved a huge sigh. "You're chicken. I see. C'mon, let's go."  
  
"I AM NOT CHICKEN! Fine, if you want a game you'll get it!" Ryota yelled. "Hanamichi, Rukawa, Mitsui, myself and Yosuke! One team!"  
  
"And all of us here, one team. You're on!"  
  
"Ryo-chin, don't you think it's unfair against them? Having so many senior players?" Sakuragi asked the team captain. "They are girls, after all." (Note: Looks like he's OOC here… )  
  
"Bah! So what if they're girls?" Ryota growled. "They're GOOD I tell you."  
  
"You've never seen them play, have you?"  
  
"Well, Hikari's good."  
  
"That doesn't mean it's a good team. That means it's a one-man team."  
  
"One-woman team, rather."  
  
"Shouldn't it be one-girl team?"  
  
"Idiot."  
  
"Hurry up!" Yuki shrieked them, causing them to leap a foot in the air. "STOP DAWDLING!"  
  
"Man, that girl's LOUD," Mitsui commented, covering his ears.  
  
"Hanamichi! Jump ball!" Ryota ordered.  
  
"Okay, Ryo-chin."  
  
Sakura got into position opposite Sakuragi. Sakuragi looked down at her. "YOU'RE going to do jump ball?"  
  
Kyoiichi, a new member acted as referee. He backed away slightly from Sakura and Sakuragi's glaring competition. "Ga, game… start!" He threw the ball into the air and dashed away from the duo.  
  
"I'm not going to lose to a girl!" Sakuragi yelled as he jumped as high as he could, reaching for the ball. His hand frantically swiped the air. "Ah… " Sakuragi muttered as he began to fall back to the ground. "AAAH! I DIDN'T GET IT!" (Note: Remember the Shohoku vs. Ryonan game, when there was a held ball?)  
  
Seizing her chance, Sakura jumped. She neatly hit the ball towards Hikari, who immediately rushed towards the goal.  
  
"Girls can jump high too," Sakura smirked before running off.  
  
"That… that…" Sakuragi thought angrily. "IDIOT!"  
  
"Hanamichi! Defense!" Ryota called as he hurried past.  
  
~~  
  
The scores were 23 to 21 now, going in the boys' favor. Ryota's eyes scanned the court for any free players, but all of them were under tight defense.  
  
"Crap," Ryota muttered. "I wouldn't have picked a game with them if I knew they were this good."  
  
Reina followed Ryota's every move unrelentingly, watching for a lapse in concentration.  
  
"There!"  
  
Quick as lightning, Reina stole the ball.  
  
"Wha- HEY!" Ryota barely had time to realize the ball had been stolen from him, when Reina threw the ball towards Hikari. "Shit! She's good!"  
  
"FAST BREAK!" Hikari shouted, and in turn passed it to Yuuki.  
  
"Guard Hikari! She's their finisher!!" Ryota yelled. "Yosuke!"  
  
The new member abandoned his defense on Yuki and ran over to help Rukawa, who was defending Hikari.  
  
"Double teaming," Hikari thought. "That won't stop me!"  
  
She feinted to the left, then abruptly changed direction and headed right. "Yuki!" she called, seeing that she had no defender. "Shoot!"  
  
Yuki did a perfect lay-up shot. They were even.  
  
Hikari was laughing at Rukawa. "You fell for it!" she gasped. "You never fell for my feints back in Junior High!"  
  
"Damn," Rukawa mumbled, glaring at his sister.  
  
At the sidelines, Sakuragi's Gundan stood, witnessing the match.  
  
"This is getting serious," Takamiya gulped.  
  
"It sure is," Noma added.  
  
"I didn't know those girls were that good," Okusu shook his head wonderingly.  
  
"Their captain IS Rukawa's sister," Yohei reminded. "But seriously. I didn't know there were girls in Shohoku who could play this good."  
  
"Actually, three of them are transfer students."  
  
"Haruko!" they exclaimed. Haruko, too, was observing the game.  
  
"I thought Rukawa was good, but that girl, Hikari, is guarding him so tightly!" Haruko's friend said. "She's his sister, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Okusu replied. "She'd know all his moves."  
  
"Who are the transfer students?" Yohei questioned Haruko.  
  
"That girl, Hikari is from Ryonan High, I heard she learnt many moves from Sendoh!" Haruko filled them in.  
  
"WHOA!" The Gundan shouted in surprise.  
  
"Sendoh?!" Noma mouthed.  
  
"Yeah," Haruko nodded. "And the twins, Yuki and Yuuki are from Shoyo High."  
  
"Wow, three players from the two of the top four high schools in Kanagawa," Yohei mused.  
  
"10 seconds left!" Hikari yelled. "We'll get this one!" (Note: Doesn't the time pass so fast?!)  
  
The players sprinted across the court as Sakuragi dribbled the ball towards the hoop. "Hanamichi, pass!" Ryota shouted at him. Sakuragi passed it to him, but it was intercepted by Hikari.  
  
"ARGH! NO!" Sakuragi howled as Hikari dashed towards the opposite end.  
  
"Guard her!"  
  
But before anyone could react, Hikari had stopped before the three-point line, aimed, and released the ball from her grasp.  
  
The players watched as the ball traveled through the air and dropped neatly into the hoop.  
  
"Time's up!" Kyoiichi called.  
  
"YES!" Hikari cheered.  
  
"Aw, man!" Ryota cried, in chibi form. He turned to Sakuragi and delivered a whack on his head.  
  
"All your fault!"  
  
"All your fault." Rukawa echoed.  
  
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"  
  
Author's notes: I hope you liked that, everyone…. *laughs nervously* Er, the pairing will come in later chapters… bwahahaha. And I'll try to put RuHana in it. :P Okay, thanks for reading! Please review! And some of the phrases in the game may be incorrect… *^^;;* 'Kay, gotta run. C'ya all! 


	5. Two Rivals(Part 1)

Chapter 5 - Two Rivals (Part I)  
  
Author's Note: I REALLY don't know what that 'thing's name is! The thing where you dance dance dance.. I got the idea when I saw my ex-classmates playing that game. and if you see any 'Hikaru's replacing Hikari's name, SORRY! I've been reading too much Hikaru no Go! =) And there's a LOT of craziness in this chapter. Sorry it took so long! Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk OR Dance Dance Revolution. Ehehe. SPOILER! I guess, about the Slam Dunk Movie 2?  
  
Haruko shivered with excitement. "They're practicing right now." she murmured. "The inter-high preliminaries are starting in two weeks." She smiled happily as she recalled their triumph a year ago. "Work hard!" she whispered, tucking her fringe behind her ears. Dreamily, she doodled on her book. "Akagi Haruko-san, please answer question 6a." "Haruko-san?" The teacher strode briskly over to her table. He coughed politely. "Haruko- san?" Haruko's seatmate waved a hand in her face. "Earth to Haruko. Earth to Haruko." Giving up, she pulled the book from under Haruko's elbows. "I knew it!" The seatmate jabbed a finger at the book. Sure enough, a sketch of Rukawa Kaede was visible amidst the many algebra equations.  
  
~~  
  
"Oof!" Sakura grunted as she pulled a box of clothes from under her bed. "Uh, Sakura? Would you mind explaining to us why we are at your house, lazing around instead of practicing?" Hikari droned on about the many reasons why they should have not skipped basketball practice. "Boy, Hikari can be boring when it comes to listing out reasons why we shouldn't skip practice," Yuuki muttered, clapping her hands over her ears. "OOF! Damn box." Sakura could be heard cursing as she dumped yet another box onto the bed. "AtCHOO!" "Phew, you're certainly stirring up a lot of dust," Yuki fanned the air with one hand and covered her mouth with the other. "What the heck are you looking for, anyway?"  
  
"Do you need help?" Reina asked anxiously, watching as Sakura opened the last box under the bed and started emptying its contents out. "Hey! Watch where you're emptying those!" Yuuki yelled as soft toys rolled out of the box. "OOH! Cute!" Yuki squealed a she hugged a cuddly pink elephant. Hikari scampered away swiftly from the avalanche of stuffed animals as Sakura triumphantly shouted. "Yep! This is the one!" Everyone sweatdropped as Sakura unfolded what seemed to be a mat. "What's THAT?" Hikari questioned, poking it. "You mean you don't KNOW?" Yuuki and Yuki asked disbelievingly. "C'mon." Sakura led them to the living room, where she switched on her playstation and connected the 'mat' to it. "It's a game called 'Dance Dance Revolution'," Sakura explained. "Oh, we came here to play games?" Hikari yelled at her best friend. "While we could have been PRACTICING?!" "It's to improve our stamina, duh!" Sakura shouted back. Everyone sweatdropped. "Improve?" Yuki said, puzzled. "Our STAMINA?" Yuuki asked. She shook her head. "How can this improve stamina?" "I think she just wants to play," Hikari sighed. "Wrong! You are the Weakest Link! Goodbye!" Sakura crowed. "We're supposed to dance!" "How can THAT help us?" Hikari muttered. "You just keep dancing, and dancing, and dancing."  
  
"And dancing, and dancing? How will that improve our stamina?" "If you keep dancing and dancing, won't you get tired?" "Exactly! The idea is to dance and dance, so you won't get tired!" "YOU DON'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" All of them yelled at Sakura.  
  
~~  
  
The girls arrived at the gym five minutes later, dragging an extremely irked Sakura. "But I dug out my program specially to help all of us!" Sakura wailed. "Now I'll have to clean my room all over again!" "Of course," Hikari muttered, a huge 'X' forming on her head. "And don't look to me for help." "You're late!" Ayako chided as they stepped in. "Where did you go?" "To tear down Sakura's house just to look for a stupid program?" Yuuki said. "IT'S NOT A STUPID PROGRAM!" Sakura shrieked in Yuuki's ear. "It's DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!" "Do I care?" Yuuki said, heading over to the changing rooms. "By the way, Hikari," Ayako shouted before Hikari disappeared behind the door. "There were two girls looking for you, they might be still hanging around the school. They said they wanted to meet you immediately." "Oh?" Hikari wondered.  
  
~~  
  
A motorcycle zoomed around the corner, picking up speed as it gradually reached its destination. It swerved dangerously to one side as the rider leaped off. Taking off his helmet, Nango Koichiro shook his head as he headed towards the sound of dribbling and footsteps. "Sakuragi Hanamichi." he growled, clenching his fists. His last incident with the redhead had left him greatly unsatisfied. "DAMNIT!" He broke into a run towards the gym. "THIS TIME I'LL GET HARUKO- CHAN!" He dashed into the gym. "SAKURAGI!" he yelled. "THIS TIME I'LL." He trailed off uneasily as a blush crept over his face. "Who's that?" Sakura whispered to Hikari. "Don't look at me, I've never met him before," Hikari returned. "The Shohoku team is out for a jog," Ayako told him. "And Sakuragi is at tuition." Nango let out huge guffaw. "TUITION! NYAHAHAHA!" The girls sweatdropped as he laughed his head off, not much unlike a certain redhead. "Unlike that idiot, here's one super rookie who doesn't need tutoring! Nyahahaha!" Yuuki and Yuki winced as they broke off pieces of tissue and used them as ear plugs. Note: If you've watched SD Movie 2, you should know what Nango's laugh sounds like! *covers ears* "So what ARE you here for, uh." Hikari paused as she looked to Ayako for his name. "Nango Koichiro," Ayako supplied helpfully. "From Tsukubu." "I'm here to issue a challenge to Sakuragi Hanamichi!" Nango declared. "What challenge?" Sakuragi stood framed in the doorway. "Oh! Nango!" Sakuragi's chibified form danced around Nango, jabbing at him. "What're you doing here? You lost! Go away! Go away!" "That's what you think! I'm not here for Haruko-chan anymore!" Nango dramatically whipped out a handkerchief and dabbed his eyes with it. "I've been improving in every aspect, but I'VE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL!" Everyone facefaulted. "I guess he means unsuccessful in attracting girls?" Reina asked Hikari. "Yeah. Unlike my brother - a girl magnet." "Now!" Nango struck a pose. "The girl I will get is." He jabbed a finger in Hikari's direction. "THAT VISION OF LOVELINESS OVER THERE!" "I am greatly tempted to grab Ayako's fan and hit him in the !@#$%." Hikari muttered. "IF WE WIN I GET TO GO OUT WITH HER! IF WE LOSE I GIVE HER UP!" Hikari shouted angrily, "D'YOU THINK I'M JUST SOMETHING TO BET ON OR WHAT?!" Nango immediately jumped to her side. "Oh, of course not, my lovely princess!" He blushed like a beetroot as he tried to console her. "Get off her, idiot." Nango whirled around. "Rukawa!" His face fell. "You don't mean to say she's taken up already?" Rukawa kicked the noisy centre on his behind. "Get outta here, doaho." Sakura was tugging urgently at Hikari's shirt. "Hikari," she whispered hurriedly. "Look! Isn't that?" One could almost hear slow music playing as everyone turned to the sound of footsteps approaching.  
  
~~  
  
Author's notes: Lot of flashbacks in the next chapter. and POVs! Sorry for the crappy ending, school starts tomorrow! *gasp* So I won't be updating often. =P Thanks for reviewing so far everyone! 


	6. Two RivalsPart II

Chapter 5 - Two Rivals (Part II)  
  
Author's notes: Okay. I'm not too good at writing flashbacks and POVs. so if there's anything wrong, kindly inform me! ^^;; Only Hikari and Sakura have POVs. er, is that the correct way to put it? O_o  
  
~~  
  
3 years ago  
  
Hikari's POV _________ "No! No! Megumi! Guard her, damnit!" The basketball went through the hoop neatly, and I watched it drop to the ground. I felt a grin spread over my face as I posed. "Yes! Rukawa Hikari scores again!" I crowed. "Darn, can't ANYBODY stop her?" Yurishima Megumi, my best friend muttered. Well, I can't say she's my best friend. Sakura's my best friend, really. No, bestest, BESTEST friend. Megumi's too serious. She's got to chill out sometimes. Crap, she reminds me of my brother. Yes. That's him. Rukawa Kaede, super rookie, blah blah. Why am I talking about my stupid brother anyway? He's away in Tomigaoka Junior High and here I am, stuck in a no-name junior high, in a no-name basketball team. Not that it doesn't help that I've got my best buddies with me. "Hikari! Stop dawdling!" Well, SORRY. "Sorry! I'm late!" That's Sakura. She's always late. Yup. Late for school, late for tuition, late for appointments, late for practice. Everything. "SAKURA! HOW DARE YOU BE LATE!" Thwap. Ow. I winced at the sound. That's our coach, Miss Mikai, with her infamous basketball magazine. Sakura rushed up to me, rubbing her forehead gingerly. "One of these days, I swear I'll complain to the principal." She stuck her tongue at Miss Mikai. ~~  
  
2 years ago  
  
Sakura's POV ___________  
  
"-So which High School are you going to?" "I dunno, you?" "Hmm. I think Kainan's pretty good, they've got a cool basketball team too!" "Maybe Ryonan?" "Oh! Oh! Or maybe Shoyo?" I scratched my head awkwardly as I thought hard. Darn, I should have discussed this with mom and dad. Yup, it's that time of the year again, when I have to choose which school to go to. Hey, wait a second. Isn't it OBVIOUS?! I go where my friends go, of course! But they're all undecided. Drat. "I think I'll go Ryonan! It's one of the best schools in this area! The basketball team rocks, too!" "NO! Kainan beat Ryonan, remember? Kainan's better!" "Shoyo's better!" Crap. "Ah! Hitomi-chan! What are you doing?" That's Hikari shouting at Kagariya Hitomi. She joined us last year-end. Joined our group of three, I mean. Hikari's noticed Hitomi writing down 'Ryonan' as her school choice. We had all agreed to go to Kainan. "I think I'll go to Ryonan," Hitomi voiced her thoughts. "You know they've got this really cute ace?" I shook my head in despair. That's typical Hitomi for you, always thinking about boys. "Me. I think I'll go to Kainan." "NOOOOO!" That's Hikari wailing. Megumi just told us she's going to Kainan. What about me? Which school should I go to? I scanned the list of schools, searching for a name that would catch my attention. . Ahah. Now THIS is eye-catching. Shohoku High School! "Then I'm going to Shohoku!" I announced, Hikari sighed resignedly. "We can still meet up together, RIGHT?" "Of course!" "Then where shall I go?" "COME WITH ME TO RYONAN!" "KAINAAAAN!" "AAAARGGH! SHUT UP! EENY MINY MEENY MOEEE!!!" "Yes! Hikari's coming to Ryonan with me!" "W@#%&)@&#%)&!!!!!" ________  
  
1 year ago, a basketball court, somewhere in Kanagawa.  
  
Hikari's POV  
  
"Pass!" Almost lazily, I threw the ball to Hitomi and she swiftly swished it into the hoop. I gave her a thumbs up and returned to unwrapping a sweet. Should I tell her? Grandma had told me to. But I didn't want to. That baka brother of mine can take care of himself anyway. Why should I, Rukawa Hikari, take care of my younger brother, Rukawa Kaede, when he's been taking EXTREMLY, I repeat, EXTREMELY good care of himself these last four years? "He's not getting proper meals." Yeah right, gramma. "He's got basketball AND studies to look after, he's not getting enough sleep so you have to be there to help the dear boy organize his time." Oh give me a BREAK. How can he NOT get enough sleep when every other day he's sleeping face down on the table during lessons? "What's up?" Hitomi interrupted my train of thoughts by waving her hand in my face questioningly. "Sorry." "Something happen?" "Sorta." "What? Tell me!" I stubbornly kept my mouth shut. "Boy problems?" "?!?!?!?!" "I know! You've gotta crush on someone in our school!" I looked at her oddly, not knowing whether to scowl or to laugh. "I KNOW! YOU'VE GOTTA CRUSH ON SENDOH!" "." "I can't blame you, he looks cute, doesn't he?" I pretended to be sick. (Note: *covers self quickly with shield* Don't kill me!) "No? Hmm." I could let this go on all day; waiting Hitomi to just get a lucky guess and find out I was leaving. I sighed and accidentally swallowed my sweet. I quickly countered by gulping down a mouthful of water. "TELL ME!" I sighed. Should I tell her? Silence. It was unbearable. Hitomi looking at me expectantly for an answer, and me staring off into space. Oh, what-EVER! "I'm transferring to Shohoku High next year." There. I've said it. I stared at the ground, fixing my gaze on an insect, making its way towards the bench. I chanced a quick look at Hitomi. "WHY?!?!" Why? Isn't it obvious? My brother isn't responsible to look after himself so I, his older sister, has to take care of him? Not that I'm not happy about seeing him again. Kaede hasn't written in ages. That's just the way he is: never cares about his family. But should I CARE?! Oh damnit. I'm being so contradictory. But then. Hitomi looked like she was going to cry. "But I'll be so lonely here!" "I know!" I snapped. "But what the hell can I do about it? Everything I do is literally my grandma's order. You're lucky she allowed me to join Ryonan with you!" Silence again. Uh-oh. I shouldn't have shouted at Hitomi. "YOU IDIOT!" . . I watched her retreating figure as the basketball she dropped rolled into the street.  
  
~~ Hitomi never appeared in front of me again. I saw her in the school corridors during the last day in Ryonan but she pursed her lips and turned away from me. It's not like I'm going to America or something, right? I'll still be in Kanagawa; we can always meet up sometime, RIGHT? . Apparently, it's WRONG for Hitomi.  
  
~~  
  
The present  
  
Sakura immediately shooed everyone out of the gym, including an extremely annoyed Nango Koichiro, who left somewhat reluctantly, but not without a final, "I LOVE YOU, MY LOVELY!" Confused, Yuuki, Yuki, Reina and Sakuragi pressed their ears to the door, trying to catch snatches of the conversation. "Who're they?" Ayako asked Sakura. Sakura crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Used to be our best friends. Me and Hikari, I mean." She looked towards the door. "But one of them, Hitomi, got really mad when Hikari left Ryonan for Shohoku." Inside the court, no one said anything for a while. Hikari broke the silence. "Well, Megumi, Hitomi, if you've got nothing to say, then I think you should leave. It's time for our practice." "You joining the Inter High championships?" Hikari stared at Megumi like she was crazy. "Yeah." "Good." "We're joining too." Silence. "Oh." Both Hitomi and Megumi glared at Hikari, who moved backward slightly. "See you."  
  
~~  
  
The sound of a basketball reached the eavesdroppers at the door. "Oh! Oh!" Sakuragi said, apparently interested. "Are they having a one on one?" "Go Hikari!" Yuuki muttered. "Oh, move OVER!" Sakura opened the door and stepped in. "LISTEN HERE, MEGUMI! YOU. oh." She watched as Hikari swished the ball into the hoop, swiftly retrieved it and looked at her. "You passing up the chance of a game with 'em?" Hikari winked at them before doing a lay-up shot. Sakura grinned as realization dawned on her. 'They came here to challenge her,' Sakura thought, as she watched Hikari practice. 'They're probably the aces in their teams. if they have a team.' "All right everyone!" she shouted, turning to Yuuki, Yuki and Reina. "Get moving! Practice, practice, PRACTICE!" "YEAH!" As everyone hurried off to get a basketball, Hikari turned to look at the calendar on the gym wall. "Three weeks." Three weeks to the inter high.  
  
Author's notes: Updating less frequently now, and I think I'm running outta ideas. Bad me! I used all my ideas for the other fic. But I think it's sorta abandoned now. Sorry if this chapter is no good, I've got a chibified teacher dancing around in my head and reprimanding me for not handing up my work. 


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